New Beginnings
by jjean
Summary: Jake gains more than just a monetary prize after the events in Lanshiang. Takes place between the last two cutscenes of the Jake/Sherry campaign. From Jake's POV.


**Woohoo, my first RE fanfic! Not much into the franchise but after rewatching RE6 I fell in love all over again with the Jake/Sherry pairing. So I decided to try my hand at writing a short fic that capture Jake's badassness and Sherry's overall adorableness. I'm writing two other fanfics about these two but this one is only going to be a two- or three-shot that fills in the blanks between the last two cutscenes of the Jake/Sherry campaign. R&amp;R but please be kind. This is the first fic I've written in a while. :P**

Jake rubbed a hand over his face. He could mark this day as the worst of his life thus far without hesitation and it wasn't even over yet.

He was sitting in a BSAA medical tent in the middle of a camp on the outskirts of the infected city of Lanshiang, waiting for the officer guarding him to return with some timetable on when he could be escorted out of the danger zone. The decor of his temporary home consisted of a gurney, a desk, foldout chairs, a lamp, duffle bags stacked atop one another, and the makeshift bed he was currently sitting on. Jake wasn't used to asking for permission but he wasn't in the mood to argue and as long as he was here he would make sure that he was given every luxury that they could offer.

He sure as hell deserved it.

The redhead gingerly touched the bandage covering his forearm where an IV had been inserted not too long ago. He should consider himself lucky that he made it out with only superficial cuts and scrapes, bumps and bruises; nothing worth complaining about. After giving up the pint of blood he promised Sherry he would, he had practically ripped the damn thing out, much to the chagrin of the medical staff that crowded him. Apparently, word of his miracle antibodies had spread around the camp and everyone and their mother with even the slightest interest had come to watch as if he was the Second Coming. A well practiced scowl and a few choice curses were able to clear the room a bit but he still did not appreciate their stares.

Goddamn BSAA boy scouts better not assume he was one of them just because he was giving them what they wanted. Money was his motivating factor.

Jake laid down on the bed, folding his arms under his head. His mind began replaying the events that occurred after he did something that he had not done in a long while. Thank someone.

He could still see the smile on Sherry's face after he had shared his gratitude, a smile that he had felt from the inside out. He could feel the warmth of her hand upon his through his glove; the sensation causing one side of his mouth to tilt up to match the other. It was a nauseatingly sweet moment that he expected would trigger his gag reflex; it was like the perfect ending to a chick flick...until they reached the end of the rail line.

As it turned out, the platform that they were riding that didn't have any steering didn't have any goddamn brakes either.

Jake flew head-over-heels onto a concrete oil rig. Tucking his arms in to brace himself, he rolled sideways several feet to a stop just at the edge, looking down at a 20 foot drop into a large body of water. He was about to breath a sigh of relief when he heard a grunt behind him and looked back just in time to see the blond head of his uncoordinated partner before she crashed into him with a high-pitched yelp and sent them both over the edge. Jake wrapped both arms around his flailing comrades waist, twisting his body so that he hit the water first.

The freezing water invaded his eyes and stung his skin. Jake clamped his mouth shut against the substance trying to enter his mouth. It was never a good idea to drink city water, especially when it came from a city running amok with zombies. The murky liquid had slowed Sherry's panicked movements. Instead she had wisely chosen to use her energy to maintain a grip on his arm. He had no idea if the petite agent could swim or not but he wasn't taking any chances, keeping his hold on her as he made his way to the surface.

Hitting the surface, his lungs greedily consumed the oxygen that had been denied them. He turned to check on his companion noting that, aside from a pale face and gasping breaths seemed to be no worse for wear.

Better yet, she was floating all on her own. "You alright?" He asked, just in case.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." She looked at him with the one eye not covered by her wet bangs. "Are you okay?"

"Just thought i'd go for a quick swim." He reassured her. In reality, he felt like shit but she didn't need to know that. She seemed like the type to worry about things that were out of her control. "What do you say we get out of here before the real fun starts."

"Sounds good to me." She said, paddling towards the shore. Thankfully, most of the action was happening in the middle of the city; the man-made beach was clear of infected. From there, they were transported via helicopter to the small base camp. As soon as his foot hit the ground, Jake was rushed into the nearest tent and had a needle stuck into his vein.

The shitheads obviously didn't trust him to honor his agreement as Sherry did. The word of a mercenary just didn't go as far as it used to. Jake was proud of the fact that he had only lied to Sherry once during their whole escapade. The one time he did was primarily to save himself from having another bullet-riddled corpse on his conscience, or so he told himself.

Honestly, he had gotten so used to saving her ass it was starting to become a fucking habit.

Jake shook his head at himself. He hadn't had to look after someone since his mother passed away, and she at least had given him the courtesy of not throwing herself in front of a barrage of bullets or exploding airplane parts. Though Sherry's commitment to her job was somewhat admirable, she would have to work on controlling her impulses if she planned on retiring at a ripe old age.

After the bastards had taken what they had wanted, he was left alone in the tent to recuperate from his six month ordeal before being transported to...wherever they were going to take him before he would be allowed to go home.

He sat up again, feeling anxious. What time was it anyway? He had been nodding off for God knows how long. The dim sunlight that crept between the seams of the tent told him the sun was going to set soon. Or was it rising? Not having seen the light of day for the past six months, his internal clock was all out of whack; his head told him it was early morning while his stomach told him it was close to dinner.

He stood and stretched until his joints popped. There was a heaviness in his muscles that promised soreness tomorrow but Jake didn't mind. Any time he walked away from a mission with all of his limbs intact was a job well done. The scar on his cheek remained the only evidence of his dangerous occupation.

Jake walked to the tents opening and peeked at the sentry standing guard in front of it. The kid looked barely in his twenties, nervous, with a fresh face that probably hadn't yet seen the need for a razor. The BSAA must be pretty desperate to be recruiting this young. Instead of the usual Army rejects, it seemed that they were now luring the puppies straight out of high school. Jake stepped through the opening and into the chilly air. The young soldier, taken by surprise, jerked to attention and pointed his gun at Jake's abdomen.

"Apologies." The kid lowered his gun, a flush of embarrassment deepening the redness already in his cheeks caused by the cold air. "You're not allowed to leave the tent, Sir."

"Says who?" Said Jake, side-stepping the lad and walking in no direction in particular.

"My superiors, Sir." The guy dashed in front of Jake and firmly planted himself in his path, "If there is something you need, I'll have someone retrieve it for you. But for the time being, you are to remain in your tent." His voice had an even, practiced tone but Jake could see the kid was actually scared shitless.

"Or what?" Jake hissed menacingly.

The kid opened his mouth before closing it again, temporarily speechless. "Sir?"

"If I don't go back to my tent, what are you going to do about it?" Jake took a step forward, using his inch height advantage to intimidate.

"I'll...uh..." The soldier lowered his eyes, defeated. Jake smirked at his weakness. If this was the best the BSAA had to offer, then it was no wonder the world was going to hell.

Jake scanned the camp. It was bustling with activity; no doubt caused by the chaos that was happening in the nearby city. Army green tents were erected in rows with soldiers rushing past each other. Stone-faced civilians huddled in groups around campfires. Some were crying, others were staring blankly at the firelight. The voices of men barking orders was nearly drowned out by the sound of military aircrafts and vehicles. It appeared Jake's five minutes of fame were up as not one person paid him any attention, except the one that was assigned to. "Where's Sherry at?"

At this, the soldier raised his head, "Miss Birkin? She should be by the convoy heading for the airport."

"And where would that be?" Jake's patience was running thin. The kid lifted his finger and Jake set off in that direction.

After a few steps, he peered at the soldier over his shoulder, "If you get in trouble, just tell them I knocked you out." He didn't wait for a reply but caught a glimpse of a faint smile on the kids face before turning away.

What drove him to say such a thing, Jake could not say. It seemed like the right thing to do after giving the kid such a hard time. _Stop playing mister nice guy._ Nice guys finished last and they certainly didn't get paid 50 million dollars for doing the responsible thing. _They probably do, they just give it all to fucking charity._

Jake smirked. He could never be a nice guy. Not one penny of his payment was going to anyone but himself.

He quickened his pace at the thought.

If happiness had a price, and to Jake it did, 50 million dollars was it and then some. He could buy a comfortable house on an uninhabited island. Perhaps two houses. That's right. Two houses and a motorcycle. A real one. Not the glossy, imported crap he had had the displeasure of driving into a lamppost in a back alley in Lanshiang. A Harley Davidson. A black Harley Davidson.

And a yacht.

Maybe even an exotic monkey to keep him company.

Jake made his way to a line of tank-like vehicles with almost a bounce in his step. All of them had their engines running, ready to go.

Dedicated to stopping bio terrorism, the BSAA was. Environmentally conscious, the BSAA was not.

He spotted his targets familiar blond bob and sauntered up to her. He noticed from the knees down she was still wearing the same clothes as before, same as he was. The only new addition was an oversized military jacket that seemed to swallow the agents slight frame. Sherry had her back to him and seemed to be studying the screen of her PDA intently. Jake unintentionally startled the rookie agent by placing a hand on her shoulder.

Sherry spun on her heel to face him, her PDA flying out of her hand and onto the damp earth in front of her feet.

"Jake!" She stooped to pick up her phone, "I was just about to look for you."

She self-consciously brushed a strand of hair from her face. The sleeves of her jacket extended past her knuckles, leaving only her skinny fingers in view. She looked kind of cute. Like a girl trying on her dad's clothes.

_What the fuck are you thinking about, Jakob? _"You headin' home?" Jake jerked his head to the truck idling behind her.

"Yeah...to the airport. HQ wants me back in the States ASAP." Sherry looked down at her cell phone, "They're saying it's going to get worse before it gets better. I don't think Lanshiang is ever going to be the same again." She stuffed the phone in her coat pocket and offered him a weak smile, "It could have been a lot worse though. Thank you, Jake. For everything."

Jake felt a significant amount of weight carried on her last word. He had seen enough in the past six months to give him a lifetime worth of nightmares, added on top of the shitload that was already there.

"After you're debriefed, we can arrange transportation for you." She continued, "Wherever you want to go, we'll figure it out."

He thrust his hands in his pockets, "Where's the safest place for the bastard mercenary son of a madman?"

He immediately regretted his choice of language when he saw Sherry flinch, "You won't have to worry about that. I've already checked; Your file has been classified as 'Top Secret'. No one will ever know about your relationship with Wesker."

Jake gave her a skeptical look, "Top secret, huh? Did they make the higher-ups pinky swear or somethin'?"

She returned his look with a smirk of her own, "Among other things." Her expression turned serious, "We can have security arranged for you too. The world is indebted to you and you deserve to feel safe. We all do."

The sincerity in her soft voice was starting to bother him. Her whole 'we can save the world' shtick was getting old. Although, in his hard of hearts, he found that it was sometimes endearing.

Jake pictured an assassination attempt by some crazed, anti-bioterrorism vigilante with a vendetta against good ol' Alberts offspring with amusement. After what he had been through, it sounded like a walk in the park.

"Yeah, yeah. So, can the person who helped save the world get a ride or what?"

Sherry open the back passenger door of a nearby vehicle and waved a hand for him to enter.

He hopped in and scooted to the opposite seat as Sherry climbed in after him. Within minutes they were on the road, traveling to the surprisingly intact Lanshiang Airport. Jake slouched in his seat, crossed his arms. Besides Sherry, there were two armed guards with them. One driving, and one in the front passenger seat.

Jake decided to wait until he was alone with Sherry before bringing up the subject of payment. He had waited this long, what was a few more hours?

They traveled in silence, Jake musing on what he was going to spend his money on first, when he heard Sherry let out a gasp.

"Oh my God..."

Jake turned to her, a twinge of concern rising in his chest, "What...?" He was unable to finish his sentence when he saw the images playing outside of her window.

"Holy shit."

Hell on earth was the best way to describe it. The remnants of the once prosperous city of Lanshiang, China was slowly being illuminated with the rising of the eastern sun. The highway that they were traveling on ran parallel to the city, giving them an up close and personal view of the aftermath of the bio terrorist attack. Plumes of smoke emanated from most of the buildings, leaving a fog hanging over the city. The haze gave the entire scene a dream-like quality. Fortunately, they were far enough away that the gruesome details of the city were hidden behind the skyscrapers, but the broken windows and the fires leftover from explosions were still a shocking sight to see.

"I can't believe we made it out of that in one piece." He said under his breath.

Sherry nodded almost imperceptibly, touching her fingertips to the glass. If the door wasn't locked, Jake had no doubt that she would've leaped out to save as many people as she could. The look on her face made his insides stutter; The tension in her jaw betrayed her struggle to keep her composure. She was too selfless for her own good.

It wasn't until she unexpectedly stiffened her pose that he realized how close they were to each other...physically.

At some some point between the 'holy' and the 'shit' he had moved into the middle seat to gain a better view out of Sherry's window, leaving himself in an indefensible position with his knee rubbing against hers. The sensation had obviously roused her from whatever thoughts she was having. It was similar to the situation they had had inside the cabin during that snowstorm. As much as he had wanted to look away, he couldn't. Not until a flurry of bullets had interrupted their tender moment.

Normally he would gag at such sentimentality. But he couldn't deny he had grown quite fond of the spunky girl. Her other redeeming qualities greatly overshadowed her unfortunate predisposition to falling down. So much so, he didn't really mind constantly having to catch her.

Jake slid back into his seat as casually as he could, pressing his shoulder against the door, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. Was it just him or had the temperature risen a few degrees? Her presence alone seemed to take up most of the room in the spacious vehicle. He watched her in his peripheral vision, hoping she didn't feel as uncomfortable as he did.

If she did, she wasn't letting it show. Sherry pulled her PDA out of its resting place inside her jacket and scrolled through her messages; the faint glow cast an eerie bluish-green light on her pixie-like face.

Jake fixed a cold glare on the back of the passenger seat in front of him. He was beginning to feel unusually vulnerable and hated himself for it. He wasn't the type to ogle at pretty girls and wasn't about to start now. Especially not on Sherry 'brave but naive' Birkin.

Finding the silence unbearable, he unleashed his go-to defense mechanism: his smart-ass mouth. He had always been able to say what was on his mind, not giving a fuck what anyone else thought. What was on his mind right now, he dare not say this time around.

"So, you get any sleep?" Damn. Was any part of his identity intact?

Sherry shook her head, "Not really."

"Me neither."

She turned toward him and Jake took all of his remaining strength not to meet her eyes. Too dangerous. "Jake?"

Her voice was too damn soft for her age. It was the kind of voice his mother used whenever he was scared; it was a voice he never wanted to hear again. Out of objects to glare at, he finally returned her gaze, "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Jake let his gaze drop, dismissively, "You already apologized. Don't worry about it, alright? What Simmons did wasn't your fault."

"It's not about that." She shifted her eyes to her hands cradling her PDA, "It's about Wesker. I should have told you."

She just had to bring _that_ up. He closed his eyes, "Sherry..."

"I mean I should have told you first_._ You shouldn't have had to find out about what Chris did like that."

Jake could picture her face in his minds eye matching her voice. She looked so ashamed.

"I guess I was just scared." She resumed, "Scared that you would get made at me because of what he did, and you wouldn't want to help me anymore"

"Redfield's actions have nothing to do with you." Jake interrupted, copying most of the quote from what she had said to him in the locker room of the research facility. The combination of a verbal ass kicking and pep talk was just what he had needed at the time. The least he could do was return the favor. "What's done is done and there's no changing it now. Just don't worry about it, okay?"

Sherry nodded her head, dropping the subject.

What he didn't tell her was that she had presumed correctly. He _was _mad at her for a while when he found out about his father's untimely death. He was completely unprepared when Chris had dropped the proverbial bombshell. Jake had immediately looked to Sherry to confirm if what Redfield said was true and his stomach had fallen through the floor when she wasn't able to meet his eyes.

He had felt angry. Manipulated. She was just like the other mercenaries who had double crossed him in the past only she had used the guise of trying to help him. Jake had never pulled a gun on someone unless he fully intended to pull the trigger. But this time, he was unsure; not of actually pulling the trigger so much as leaving Sherry with the image of him blowing a man's brains out as her last impression of him.

He hadn't reacted at the time, but he could hear every word that came out of her pleading mouth. Her urgent voice imploring him to control himself before he did something he would truly regret. Something that he could never take back. For the first time in his short gun-for-hire career, he had missed his shot. His trusty Magnum had moved at the last possible second, granting the BSAA soldier at least another minute to live. Jake knew he was just delaying the inevitable. One day he would have to have a talk with Chris fucking Redfield.

"Here. At least take this." Sherry produced a second phone from her jacket and offered it to him.

Jake looked down at the phone to Sherry and then back again before taking it. It looked exactly like hers; state of the art, with a holographic globe as the screensaver.

"It works pretty much anywhere. They're standard issue exclusively for DSO agents, but I managed to swipe one for you."

Jake looked disgustingly at the device before extending it back to her, "Your government wants to keep tabs on me now? No Thanks."

Sherry put both of her hands side by side, pushing the phone back into his hands. She reached over and pressed an icon on the screen, revealing the phones security settings, "Don't worry, the number isn't listed. And the line is encrypted so your calls can't be traced or tapped into."

Jake side-eyed her suspiciously, searching for a trace of dishonesty on her features. Finding none, he curled his fingers around the phone and examined it again. He would need to buy a new cell phone anyway, with the BSAA confiscating all of his gear as evidence. _Never turn down something given for free. _

He grunted a thanks and started messing around with it, pressing various buttons. After a few seconds he raised his head and found Sherry staring at him expectantly, "What?" He asked with annoyance.

She raised an eyebrow, "Do you know how it works?"

Jake blinked slowly at her, asking the question that the agent was obviously waiting for, "Do you want to show me?"

"Are you _asking _me to show you?"

Jake's face slowly broke into a smirk. "You think I can't figure it out how to use a cell phone on my own?"

"I didn't say that."

"I said you _'__think'._"

Sherry tilted her head to the side, annoyance creeping into her pretty features, "Do you want me to show you or not?"

Jake conceded the device and listened absentmindedly while Sherry explained to him the basics of how to use the high tech phone, even asking a few questions of his own to keep her talking. He normally didn't tease people this much but she made it too easy sometimes. Whenever she stated the obvious, he couldn't help but make a snide remark. He didn't do it out of spite but out of need to keep her calm, especially during intense situations. And, dare he admit it, he kinda liked hearing the sound of her voice.

"Just one more question." He paused to gain her attention, "How do I dial a number?"

Sherry wrinkled her nose, "Very funny, Muller."

"Oh so we're going by last names now, Birkin?"

Sherry straightened the collar of her jacket and leaned back into her seat, not responding to his baiting remark.

Jake scrolled through the menu to the icon labeled 'Contacts'.

"So what's your number?" he hovered his fingers over the keyboard.

Sherry pursed her lips, narrowing her blue eyes at him, "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Who else am I supposed to call with this thing?"

Sherry crossed her arms, returning her attention to her window.

"You mad?"

"Mildly annoyed is more like it."

Jake eyed her, unsure whether she was joking or not, "Well, I'm sorry. Alright?"

Sherry crossed her legs, slouching, looking more and more like a stubborn child than professional government agent. Jake liked seeing this side of her. This type of conversation suited her more than the sappy apologies she was giving him earlier.

"Sorry for what?"

Jake rolled his eyes, "I don't know. For being a wise ass, I guess."

Sherry seemed to study his face, gauging his sincerity. He felt weirdly self-conscious as her baby blue eyes hesitated over his scar before meeting his own silver-blue ones.

"I forgive you."

"Good. Now." Jake pressed a button to make his screen come to life again, "What's you number?"

"Speed dial 2"

Jake had typed the first three letters in before he got the joke. He looked up at the agents cheeky grin, "You really should aim your aspirations higher, Supergirl. You're definitely good enough for speed dial 1 in my book."

"I know I am. My office number is speed dial 1."

The chuckle escaped Jake's throat before he could muffle it. He opened the Contacts file and, sure enough, two numbers scrolled across the screen under the name 'Sherry Birkin'. Next to the name was a miniature picture of the agent smiling against a black background. What was the picture for? Did she think he would forget what she looked like? The likelihood of that happening was the same as Jake giving his reward money away. Wasn't going to happen. With another smart remark hovering on the edge of his tongue, Jake looked up to find Sherry once again staring out of her window, her shoulders quivering. Was she crying?

Jake was about to reach out when Sherry faced him, biting her bottom lip in a futile effort to keep her laughter contained. Jake raised an amused eyebrow. She must have been pretty proud of her joke to be still laughing long after the laughing period had expired. Whether she really thought the joke was that funny or the face he was giving her amplified it, he didn't know. All he knew was that the giggles slipping from her mouth were tempting him to do the same. What was it about hearing someone else's laughter that makes anyone within hearing distance want to join in?

Jake was pondering the thought when he felt a sudden tingling sensation in his gut. He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. The action seemed to only make the agents' giggle fit worsen. Sherry's light laughter was more infectious than any virus. And apparently even he wasn't immune to it.

"You two alright back there?" The guard sitting in front turned in his seat and cast Jake and Sherry a look that was unidentifiable beneath his dark goggles.

Sherry immediately clamped her mouth shut, a hint of pinkness staining her cheeks. She looked at Jake almost apologetically for drawing the guards' attention.

"Yeah, we're good." Jake said, giving Sherry a wink. The soldier gave them both a look before turning back to the road ahead.


End file.
